Tubes/Valves
From time to time I will be listing vintage tubes for auction. All listed tubes are checked by me on a repaired, and calibrated Hickok 752A Dynamic Mutual Conductance Tube Tester. I then use a second 752A tester to verify the results. This tester is considered by many of the online tube gurus to be one of the best commercial testers ever built, and their go-to tester. This tester cost a technician $385, in 1962...over $2200 in todays money. Most of the tubes I list are used-pulls from Hewlitt Packard and Tektronix test equipment that is being scrapped due to its "Boat Anchor" status. Boat Anchor? Much of this equipment is in good working condition, but is big and very heavy; 30lbs, 60lbs and even heavier. Modern equipment is much lighter, has more features/expanded test ranges, though not always superior in quality.
I also buy the same type of old used equipment/parts, or tubes to use in restoring choice pieces.
Some Tube Rolling Reviews and Links
Thor DAC
http://www.audioasylum.com/audio/script ... .html#6DJ8
Joe's reviews of the 6DJ8 family of tubes, very detailed.
Decware Zen SE84cs
http://www.audioasylum.com/scripts/t.pl?f=set&m=35662
Sock Svt 6N1P-well extended on both ends but hollow sounding in the mids
Philips JAN 6922-fuller midrange, less extended, warmer than the Svt
Amperex White Label 6922 PQ, USA-Extremely dynamic, strong bass, no real weak spot, but perhaps a bit less "atmospheric" than the next tube.
Amperex Bugle Boy, Herleen-My favorite on this list with this amp. Less dynamic than the above tube, with a slightly warm signature. Outstanding midrange and extremely detailed and atmospheric. It is more colored than the PQ.
To restore the bass I lost with the Bugle Boy I switched in a Blackburn Mullard 5Ar4 GZ34.
Ah Njoe Tjoeb ’99 CD Player
http://www.enjoythemusic.com/magazine/e ... joeb99.htm
My top two recommendations are the Russian Sovtek 6922 and the Amperex Bugle Boy 6922/E88CC premiums. The Sovtek’s sound is sexy, full-bodied, vintage-tube like. The lower midrange clearly shines through, and I prefer that to the brightness of the stock tubes. Unfortunately, the Sovtek is not the smoothest sounding tube put on the face of the earth by the Tube Gods. Harmonic overtones are slightly grainy in texture, lacking a bit of sheen and polish. For about double the price, you could have it all by opting for the Amperex Bugle Boys
http://www.audioreview.com/cat/digital- ... 86crx.aspx
Lastly, the subject of tube rolling. When I bought this player from Kevin Deal of Upscale Audio, he told me that the tubes are a buffer in this player and really peform the function of "flavoring" the sound, but that they do make a difference. With that in mind, note that the types of tubes that will sound good here are not necessarily the same as those that would really sing in your tube pre-amp.
I tried the following tubes: Siemens E188CC goldpins (70's vintage, radar select), Siemens & Halske E88CC, Amperex 7308 (US), Amperex 6922 (US), Mullard CV2493, Mullard E188CC, and Sylvania 7308 (60's, D-Getter, goldpin, lab grade). I didn't even give the stock Philips 6922 steel pins a chance, so I have nothing to report on their sound. The Siemens E188CC and Sylvania tubes were too neutral, almost disappearing to the point of just not doing anything for the sound. Bass was very tight with both, though. It was nearly the same thing with the S&H E88CC, tight bass and neutral to the point of not giving any flavor, but I did get a little nicer, smoother, midrange. Both of the Amperex tubes sounded very nice, smooth with a great soundstage, in fact, the best soundstage of all of the tubes. But they were a little on the cool side, lacking warmth and that sweet tube sparkle. (By the way, I could not detect a difference in the sound of the 6922 vs. the 7308 in this circuit. So, if you're inclined to go with Amperex, save some bucks and go with the 6922). Lastly, the Mullards. These are the winners in my book for this particular CD player. They added body and warmth to the sound and had that wonderful Mullard midrange. Bass was not quite as good as with the more neutral tubes, and the soundstage was not as good as the Amperex tubes, but those wonderful mids more than made up for it. I wound up leaving the CV2493's in, but did not find any real difference between the CV2493 and E188CC. In fact, they appear to be the same tube. (If you are swayed by my review that CV2493's are the best, please note that there are at least three different types of this tube, one made in Holland, essentially a Philips E188CC, and two made in England. One of the English-made ones has a great deal of midrange depth, but is a bit light on bass. The one that worked for me, was the one most like the Mullard E188CC).
http://www.tubeworld.com/6dj8.htm
SONIC COMMENTS: -------------- "I recently ordered a 6087=5Y3WGTB=indirectly heated=slow-warmup rugged 5Y3GT recitifier tube from you for my Decware Zen SET amp along with a pair of ECC88=6DJ8 Siemens Germany NOS original boxes same date codes 1960's for my Ah! Tjoeb 99 tubed CD player. I wanted to let you know that both purchases are working out great. I started with the rectifier tube and noticed that the amp played louder with more bass and better rythym. After trying that alone for a while, last night I installed the old ECC88 SIEMENS tubes in my cd player. WOW. they are awesome. there is more and clear sound in the upper registers, cymbals and triangles sound more realistic, and percussion instruments sound tighter and more detailed. In addition, they keep everything that was already there in the music that i liked with the stock tubes. thanks for some great recomendations."
Melos SHA-1
http://www4.head-fi.org/forums/showthread.php?t=8803
Dodd ELP
http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/showthr ... post401460
Sound Presence Deluxe Mk II Preamp
http://www.tubeworld.com/6dj8.htm
SONIC COMMENTS: -------------- "I tried a number of excellent tubes with my First Sound Presence Deluxe Mk II Preamp. The famed Siemens Gold Pin 7308's, Amperex 6922 Holland D-getter, Siemens CCA and the 1959 cryo'd Phillips Miniwatt 6DJ8 you sold me. Each tube obviously has its strengths: 7308's were quiet, transparent and refined. Amperex 6922's open and detailed, yet a bit warmer than the Siemens. I didnt care for the CCA's in my system (too lean). The miniwatt 6dJ8 you sold me BLOWS them away. Well, let me rephrase that. On vocals, acoustics, simple jazz/rock, these are the very best i have yet to hear. Midrange presence and bloom is to die for. Yet the tube is also really quiet and provides plenty of detail and sparkle. I could go on in "audiophile" terms and state that the Siemens may have been a bit more trasnparent, that the 6922's maybe ever so slightly less rolled off, but that's only a small part of the story. I always came back to this tube - very simply because it created images and timbre that were REAL. People use the term, "musical" all the time - but now i know what they mean.... These tubes simply sound like music. When they are in, I get immersed in the music, and forget all the nonsense we obsess about as audiophiles. They may not be as good in complex/loud jazz and rock, but i dont listen to that much of that anyway. Short of that minor caveat, I recommend these without reservation. Worth every penny I spent on them Art G. Minneapolis, MN"
